Stats: Ashwin becomes the second fastest to 500 Test wickets

Ravichandran Ashwin added yet another feather to his glittering Test career on Friday, February 16, becoming just the ninth bowler to register 500 wickets in Test cricket. The off-spinner achieved the feat by dismissing Zak Crawley on Day 2 of the ongoing third Test between India and England in Rajkot.

Here are all the key numbers highlighting his incredible journey:

Bowlers with 500-plus Test wickets

98 - Tests taken by Ravichandran Ashwin to complete 500 Test wickets, making him the second-fastest to the milestone after Muttiah Muralitharan, who had got there in his 87th match in March 2004. Of the nine bowlers to have bagged 500 wickets in Test cricket, Ashwin has the best strike-rate (51.4) and his average of 23.94 is bettered only by Glenn McGrath (21.64) and Muralitharan (22.72).

25714 - balls taken by Ashwin to complete 500 wickets in Tests, making him the second-fastest to the mark after Glenn McGrath. The former Australia quick had got there of his 25528th ball in the format, dismissing Marcus Trescothick on an action-packed Day 1 of the Ashes 2005 opener at Lord's.

37 years 152 days - Ashwin's age at the time of completing 500 Test wickets, making him the second-oldest to the mark after Courtney Walsh, who had got his 500th at the age of 38 years and 140 days in March 2001.

Stats at the time of achieving 500 Test wickets

Ashwin was also the fastest to 250, 300 and 350 (joint fastest alongside Muralitharan) wickets in Tests, and the second quickest to 400 and 450 scalps, only behind the former Sri Lanka great. In fact, he is the fastest Indian to the milestone of 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 wickets in Test cricket.

Matches taken to 50X Test wickets for India

Most wickets for India in Tests

Ashwin is one of the three Indian bowlers with 700-plus wickets in international cricket (728), alongside Anil Kumble (956) and Harbhajan Singh (711).

51.4 - Ashwin's strike-rate of 51.4 is the best among 40 spinners who have bagged at least 150 wickets in Tests, and his average of 23.79 is bettered only by Jim Laker (21.24) and Muralitharan (22.72) with that cut-off.

Spinners with best strike-rates in Tests (min. 150 wickets)

346- Test wickets Ashwin in a winning cause is the most for India, well clear of the next best Anil Kumble (288). Only Warne, Muralitharan, McGrath and Anderson have more.

Most Test wickets in a winning cause

347 - wickets bagged by Ashwin in home Tests is the fifth most by a bowler in a country and only three short of the Indian record of 350 held by Anil Kumble.

Bowlers with 300-plus wickets in a country

158 - wickets bagged by Ashwin in the ICC World Test Championship since the competition's introduction in 2019, which is the third most after Nathan Lyon (174) and Pat Cummins (169). Of the 16 bowlers to have taken at least 75 wickets in the WTC, Ashwin has the third best average (20.72) after Kyle Jamieson (19.03) and Jasprit Bumrah (19.72).

34 - Ashwin's 34 five-wicket hauls in Tests is the fifth joint-most alongside Rangana Herath, and the second most for India after Anil Kumble (35). He also has eight 10-wicket match hauls in the format, which is the joint-most for India alongside Kumble.

Most Test five-fors

67 - Muttiah Muralitharan

37 - Shane Warne

36 - Sir Richard Hadlee

35 - Anil Kumble

34 - Rangana Herath

34 - Ravichandran Ashwin

Most 10-wicket hauls in Tests

22 - Muttiah Muralitharan

10 - Shane Warne

9 - Sir Richard Hadlee

9 - Rangana Herath

8 - Anil Kumble

8 - Ravichandran Ashwin

249- Of the 500 wickets bagged by Ashwin in Tests, 249 are of left-handers, a record in the format, well clear of the next best James Anderson, who has 217.

Bowlers with most LHB victims in Tests

249 - Ravichandran Ashwin

217 - James Anderson

193 - Stuart Broad

190 - Muttiah Muralitharan

184 - Nathan Lyon

12 - Ashwin has dismissed Ben Stokes 12 times in 15 Tests, the joint most and India bowler has dismissed a particular batter in the format, alongside Kapil Dev, who got the better of former Pakistan all-rounder Mudassar Nazar on as many occasions in 19 matches.

India bowler dismissing a batter most often in Tests

512 - wickets bagged by Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in Tests played together, making them one of the 13 such pairs in the format's history. The duo went past the Indian record of 501 held by Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh during the series opener in Hyderabad. These are the only two all-spin pairs to bag 500-plus wickets in Tests played together. The overall record belongs to James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who bagged 1039 wickets in 138 Tests they featured together, followed by Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, who got 1001 in 104 matches. Of the 511 wickets bagged by Ashwin and Jadeja as a pair before the ongoing Test, 404 (79.06%) came in wins.

114 - wickets by Ashwin against Australia is the most by an Indian bowler against an opponent in Tests, three better than Kumble's 111 against the same team. He is currently two short of completing 100 Test scalps against England.

Most wickets against a team in Tests (for India)

114 - Ravichandran Ashwin vs Australia

111 - Anil Kumble vs India

99 - Kapil Dev vs Pakistan

98 - Ravichandran Ashwin vs England

95 - Bhagwath Chandrasekhar vs England

95 - Harbhajan Singh vs Australia

72 - wickets bagged by Ashwin in 2016, making him one of the three Indian bowlers to take 70 or more wickets in a calendar year after Kapil Dev (75 in 1983 and 74 in 1979) and Anil Kimble (74 in 2004). Ashwin, in fact, is the only bowler to bag 70-plus wickets in a calendar year since his Test debut; Dale Steyn was the last to do so, with 74 wickets in 2008.

4 - instances of Ashwin bagging 50 or more wickets in a calendar year (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021), the most for India, followed by three each for Anil Kumble (1999, 2004 and 2006) and Harbhajan Singh (2001, 2002 and 2008). The overall Test record belongs to Shane Warne (8 times), followed by Muralitharan (six times).

10 - Player of the Series awards for Ashwin is the second most in Tests after Muralitharan (11). Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar are the next best among Indian players (five each).

*All numbers until the end of second day's play of the ongoing Rajkot Test.